The First Part One
Today will be my first doubleheader of the season and starting the day off the skies were clear but the air brisk. There were a few changes to the trip I noticed from the start. We had a new naturalist on board for this trip who I had not been out with, who proved to be quite simply wonderful and very knowledgeable. Additionally, the menu had changed and now contained pretzel bites though unfortunately, they sold out before I got hungry for lunch, so I was stuck with some chili cheese nachos, such a shame… As we made our way south, very south chasing reports from early morning we passed by Smith Island which is always a favorite of mine to photograph due to its harsh lines and shape. We slowed past Minor Island to look a gulp of cormorants on the small island and spotted a young pair of immature eagles one whom was enjoying a fish lunch. We continued south down past Port Townsend to the furthest I have gone south with Island Adventures but the rumors proved true and the trip was worth it! We found a pod of Orcas that we were told was the T137’s. This was quickly confirmed thanks to the presence of T137A, Jack with his towering dorsal with two knicks in it. Review of photos afterwards confirmed Jack’s mom T137, Loon and his other siblings T137B, and T137D, were also present. Right away Jack gave us a great show coming straight at us and then passing below the boat before joining up with the others. They were not doing too much though and appeared to just be making their way from point A to Point B while giving us some good looks mixed with a few deeper dives. We headed north and spotted some Sea Lions on bouys but otherwise it was a smooth trip back into the harbor as I stretched my legs before getting back on the boat for round two!
